This Isn't What It Looks Like is a book by anonymous

Anonymous work

Anonymous works are works, such as art or literature, that have an anonymous, undisclosed, or unknown creator or author. In the United States it is legally defined as "a work on the copies or phonorecords of which no natural person is identified as author."...

 author Pseudonymous Bosch

Pseudonymous Bosch

Pseudonymous Bosch is the pen name of Raphael Simon, author of the Secret Series children's books. The name plays off that of the artist Hieronymus Bosch, with the first name a combination of the words pseudonym and anonymous. The Secret Series is a pentalogy of novels based on the five senses:...

. It is the fourth book in the pentalogy

Pentalogy

A pentalogy is a compound literary or narrative work that is made up of five distinct works, just as a trilogy is made up of three works, and a tetralogy of four...

 "The Secret Series

The Secret Series

The Secret Series is an adventure series written by Pseudonymous Bosch. His writing style is similar to that of Lemony Snicket's, author of A Series of Unfortunate Events. The first book in the series, The Name of This Book is Secret, was released in late 2007. The second, If You're Reading...

", and is the sequel to This Book is Not Good for You

This Book Is Not Good for You

This Book is Not Good for You is a book by anonymous author Pseudonymous Bosch. It is part of the "Secret Series, a pentalogy of books written by Bosch, and is the sequel to The Name of This Book is Secret and If You're Reading This, It's Too Late...

, If You're Reading This, It's Too Late

If you're reading this, it's too late

If You're Reading This, It's Too Late is the sequel to The Name of this Book is Secret in the Secret Series by Pseudonymous Bosch. It was released in October 2008 and features the same characters as the first book...

, and The Name of this Book is Secret

The Name of this Book is Secret

The Name of this Book is Secret is a 2007 fantasy novel for young readers by Pseudonymous Bosch. It chronicles the adventures of two children, Cass and Max-Ernest, as they investigate the mysterious death of local Pietro Bergamo. As you find out later in the book, he is not really dead...

. It acts as the continued part of This Book is Not Good for You, starting just after Cass eats the magic "Time-Travel" chocolate and falls into a coma, searching for her ancestor, the Jester, to find out what the Secret of imortality is, as she recently became the new Secret-Keeper of the Terces Society. Meanwhile, Max-Ernest tries to save Cass with a special monocle

Monocle

A monocle is a type of corrective lens used to correct or enhance the vision in only one eye. It consists of a circular lens, generally with a wire ring around the circumference that can be attached to a string. The other end of the string is then connected to the wearer's clothing to avoid losing...

, as the book centers around the sense of sight

Visual perception

Visual perception is the ability to interpret information and surroundings from the effects of visible light reaching the eye. The resulting perception is also known as eyesight, sight, or vision...

.

One of the most major secrets revealed in the story is that Pseudonymous Bosch may possibly be Max-Ernest, as the later described in the story that he saw his future self writing about him and Cass. As it is unlikely Bosch actually went on the adventures Max-Ernest went on with Cass, it is possible he simply based Max-Ernest on himself as a child. He also tells the story of when he nearly drowned in a jar of mayonnaise, describing how when he was a baby an old pea

Pea

A pea is most commonly the small spherical seed or the seed-pod of the pod fruit Pisum sativum. Each pod contains several peas. Peapods are botanically a fruit, since they contain seeds developed from the ovary of a flower. However, peas are considered to be a vegetable in cooking...

had gotten stuck in the folds of his thigh, causing him to scream and cry all the time. One day, however, at a restaurant, a waitress takes him to quiet him, discovers the pea, and washes him out in a very large jar of mayonnaise to get it out. However, he sinks to the bottom, and she is unable to get him out. However, the head chef rescues him, and squeezed the pea out of his thigh. Ever since then, Pseudonymous Bosch has had a morbid fear of mayonnaise, and a warm affinity for sous chefs.

Plot

The story starts off with a girl awakening somewhere unknown to her, in an unknown time, not knowing who she is, where she came from, or what she is doing. She sees a young boy stuck in a tree, and tries to rescue him, only to hear him repeatedly shouting the word "Goat!", evidently frightened. He runs down the road to his father, but neither of them even look at the girl. Confused, the girl walks up to a puddle, only to see that she has no reflection, realizing that she must be invisible, and that the boy was shouting "Ghost," not "Goat."

Characters

• Cass - The survivalist and main character, Cass is ready for any situation. She also has big ears that turn red often, especially when she's embarrassed or mad.
• Max-Ernest - Cass's best friend and partner, Max-Ernest is shown to be a devoted friend; shown when he comes to see Cass every day when she's in the hospital. It is hinted that he is the younger version of the author of the series because of his new love of chocolate(he used to think he was allergic to it), and Max-Ernest seeing, with the monocle that he took when Benjamen Blake and Amber were fighting over it, what he thinks is a future version of himself writing the first book of the series.
• Yo-Yoji -Cass and Max-Ernest's Japanese classmate who spent one year in Japan. He took the Oath of Terces with Cass and Max-Ernest. He now helps them on their adventures.
• The Jester(Hermes)- The founder of the Terces Society, Hermes was at first The Jester of the King, but is a eventually jailed for helping Cabbage Face free. After breaking out of jail with Cass he goes on to help Anastasia be freed from being captured. Sometime after Cass leaves the past, Hermes marries Anastasia, and learns the secret. Hermes is an Ancestor of Cass, A resemblance being the unusual ears they have.
• Anastasia- Leader of a band of bandits.Rescues the Jester and Cass from the dungeon. Marries the Jester later on.
• Lord Pharaoh- The founder of the midnight sun, Cass meets him when she's in the past.
• Cabbage Face- The invention of Lord Pharoah, when Cass goes to the past she gives food to him and encourages to talk. Cass discovers that the author of the story got facts mixed up in "The Tale of Cabbage Face: A Gothic Tale"
• Glob- One of the members of the Nuts Table. He has a blog all about food, therefore he receives offers from various food related companies.
• Amber- The nicest girl in school and the third prettiest.But got her reputation ruined as the nicest girl when she lied to Max-Ernest which she claimed the cards she have are fortune tellers but Benjamin read her mind. She and her friend Veronica idolize the Skelton Sisters,who are secretly members of the Midnight Sun
• Benjamin- Part of the Midnight Sun. Trained with Dr. L in the institution called New Promethean. Comes back to use the monocle on Cass to find out the secret.
• Daniel-not-Danielle - Another member of the Nuts Table
• Melanie - Cassandra's mom. She also goes by Mel
• Grandpa Larry- Cass's grandfather, Larry is not her real grandfather. He is an adopted grandfather.
• Grandpa Wayne- Cass's grandfather, Wayne is not her real grandfather. He is an adopted grandfather.
• The bandits- a group of people, found in Cass's vision/coma and helps Anastasia steal goods and valuables from the more rich to give to the poor.
• The Seer (Clara or Cassandra)- A fortune teller/ hand reader/ card reader/ reads Cass's cards.
• Mrs. Johnson- The principle at Max-Ernest, YoYoji, and Cass's school.
• The regal beagles-
• the guards-
• Veronica- Amber's best friend but, not the nicest
• Dr. L - Pietro's twin brother and also one of the antagonists along with Ms. Mauvais
• Ms. Mauvais - The first leader of the Midnight Sun